pomegranate-bush. She beckoned. I went to her; and in that hour we
forgot danger and sorrow, but said farewell to each other for ever. Now
you know all; and now that I have given her up--now that I know it would
be madness even to think of her again--I am obliged to be very stern with
myself, lest, like the king, I should fall into deep melancholy for the
sake of a woman. And this is the end of the story, the close of which we
were all expecting, when Atossa, as I lay under sentence of death, sent
me a rose, and made me the happiest of mortals. If I had not betrayed my
secret then, when we thought our last hour was near, it would have gone
with me to my grave. But what am I talking about? I know I can trust to
your secrecy, but pray don't look at me so deplorably. I think I am
still to be envied, for I have had one hour of enjoyment that would
outweigh a century of misery. Thank you,--thank you: now let me finish
my story as quickly as I can.

"Three days after I had taken leave of Atossa I had to marry Artystone,
the daughter of Gobryas. She is beautiful, and would make any other man
happy. The day after the wedding the Angare reached Babylon with the
news of your illness. My mind was made up at once; I begged the king to
let me go to you, nurse you, and warn you of the danger which threatens
your life in Egypt--took leave of my bride, in spite of all my father-in-
law's protestations, and went off at full speed with Prexaspes, never
resting till I reached your side, my dear Bartja. Now I shall go with
you and Zopyrus to Egypt, for Gyges must accompany the ambassador to
Samos, as interpreter. This is the king's command; he has been in better
spirits the last few days; the inspection of the masses of troops coming
up to Babylon diverts him, besides which, the Chaldaeans have assured him
that the planet Adar, which belongs to their wargod Chanon, promises a
great victory to the Persian arms. When do you think you shall be able
to travel, Bartja?"